FIBA World Cup 2023 Day 5 results (30th August): Which teams won today?
The opening round of the FIBA World Cup 2023 came to an end on Wednesday, August 30, with eight games taking place.
South Sudan faced Serbia, while Georgia battled Venezuela and Team USA played Jordan. Cote d'Ivoire collided with Brazil and Slovenia faced Cape Verde. China vs Puerto Rico, Greece vs New Zealand, and Iran vs Spain completed the schedule.
FIBA World Cup 2023 Day 5 results: List of winners
Teams from Group B, C, F, and G competed on Wdnesday. The favorites easily prevailed and the bracket for the second round is now complete. With that in mind, let's see what happened in the opening round finale of the FIBA World Cup:
#1 Serbia closes opening round with an emphatic 3-0 record
The Serbians once again showed they have the depth and talent to make a deep run in the FIBA World Cup 2023.
With another dominant performance on both ends, the Serbians crushed South Sudan (83-115), ending the opening round undefeated (3-0).
Nikola Jovic (25 points, 9/9 shooting), Bogdan Bogdanovic (23 points, nine assists, 8/13 shooting) and Nikola Milutinov (17 points, 10 rebounds) combined for 65 points for the winners.
Dut Jok Kacuol and Nuni Omot were the best players of South Sudan with 21 and 17 points, respectively. South Sudan finished with an 1-2 record in its maiden FIBA World Cup appearance.
#2 - Georgia rallies past Venezuela to book ticket to second round
Georgia outscored Venezuela 18-4 in the second quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 70-59 victory and reaching the second round.
The Georgians led by as many as 23 points in the Group F contest and withstood their opponents' comeback to seal their ticket to the next round in their first FIBA World Cup appearance.
On the other hand, Venezuela leaves the opening round winless (0-3) and also missed the ticket to the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Toko Shengelia led all scorers with a game-high 25 points and a PIR of 19, whereas Nestor Colmenares had a team-high 16 points for the losing squad.
#3 - Team USA puts up another show in FIBA World Cup
Team USA looks determined to stop at nothing in its quest for another gold medal in a major FIBA tournament. This time, the Americans decimated Jordan (110-62) and moved to the next round unbeaten (3-0).
Anthony Edwards had 22 points, eight rebounds, and a PIR of 26 for the winners, who are the favorites for a podium finish, along with Canada and Germany.
On the contrary, Jordan wrapped up its opening round campaign with a 0-3 record and will now play in classification games 17-32.
#4 - Luka Doncic prevails in battle with former Real Madrid teammate Walter Tavares
Luka Doncic faced his former Real Madrid teammate Walter Tavares, as Slovenia rallied past Cape Verde (92-77) to finish the opening round with a 3-0 record. Cape Verde got eliminated in its maiden FIBA World Cup appearance (0-3).
Doncic (19 points, seven rebounds, nine assists) and Klemen Prepelic (18 points) led the way for the Slovenians, whereas Tavares had nine points and 10 boards.
The Slovenians led from start to finish and opened the gap to 14 points after three quarters (69-55) to cruise to the victory.
#5 - Yago Dos Santos carries Brazil to the second round
Yago Dos Santos and fourth-quarter defense carried Brazil to the second round of the FIBA World Cup.
Dos Santos finished the game with 24 points and 12 assists, on 8/11 shooting and a PIR of 37, as the Brazilians defeated Cote d'Ivoire in a must-win game (77-89).
Brazil relied on defense, conceded just 12 points in the fourth and outscored its opponents 12-19 to win the game and move to the next round. On the other hand, Cote d'Ivoire (1-2) missed a great chance of advancing to the second round and will now play in the classification games (17-32).
#6 - Puerto Rico cruises to Second Round in an emphatic way
In a must-win game, Puerto Rico stood tall, dominated China (89-107) and will now play in the Second Round of the FIBA World Cup.
In a high-scoring game, Puerto Rico (2-1) led by 15 in the first half (37-52), but allowed 32 points in the third quarter that put the Chinese back on track (69-78). Yet, they outscored their opponents 20-29 in the fourth and cruised to the win.
Tremont Waters and Ismael Romero combined for 40 points for the winners, scoring 22 and 18, respectively. On the contrary, Rui Zhao led four China players in double digits, but this was not enough to give them their first win in the tournament (0-3).
#7 - Greece makes wild comeback to defeat New Zealand and advance to the Second Round
Greece trailed by as many as 15 points in the contest, but made a wild comeback in the second half and defeated New Zealand (83-74) to qualify for the second round (2-1).
It was a must-win game for both squads, with New Zealand leading for the entire first half (32-43). But, the Greeks improved their defense and erupted for 33 points in the fourth quarter to cruise to the victory (33-20). The Greeks outscored their opponents 51-31 in the second half and will now play in the second round.
Ioannis Papapetrou had 27 points for the winners, while Giannoulis Larentzakis added 20 and Thomas Walkup flirted with the double-double (10 points, nine assists).
#8 - Spain moves to the second round undefeated
The Spaniards had no problem to rally past Iran (65-85) and complete the opening round unbeaten (3-0). Spain took over after the opening quarter and used a 17-27 run to take control (34-43).
Led by Juancho Hernangomez (21 points), Spain retained control in the second half and outscored Iran 31-42 to claim its third victory in the opening round (3-0). Iran ended its opening round campaign winless (0-3).
The FIBA World Cup continues with classification games (17-32) on Thursday, while the second round will kick off on Friday.